


Disaster with a Dragon

by BrokenKestral



Series: Whumptober2020 [5]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Burns, Delayed Drowning, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Trust, Whumptober 2020, broken down
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:07:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27000208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenKestral/pseuds/BrokenKestral
Summary: Hiccup and Toothless star in three days of Whumptober2020.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Toothless, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Series: Whumptober2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970584
Kudos: 17





	1. Broken Down

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober2020: Prompt 12 I Think I’ve Broken Something  
> Broken Down
> 
> A/N: Was I the only one who read the title (after the “12”) in Merry’s voice?

Yes, kicking the tree would hurt. Hiccup did it anyway. “Ow! Ow ow ow!” Toothless snorted, and Hiccup glanced over. “Oh, so you’re not ignoring me now? Thanks, thanks a lot. You don’t help at all when I’m trying to get us back in the air, but I hurt my toes, and suddenly, you’re watching!” Toothless pointedly raised a wing so he couldn’t see Hiccup anymore, and so Hiccup couldn’t see Toothless. Hiccup sighed and went back to the damaged tail mechanism. 

It had been all his fault, really. The new tail design _should_ have allowed them to maximize Toothless’s turning ability, but when they’d tested it out on an uninhabited island, something went wrong. Toothless ended up hitting the tree headfirst. The dragon had a hard head, and Hiccup wasn’t worried, but Toothless wasn’t planning on letting him fly again—at least not for the next few minutes.

“And we’d need a tail to fly _with_ ,” Hiccup reminded himself. “Since our fall broke something in this one.” The stupid bent metal piece wouldn’t pop back into its hole, and after Hiccup pinched his finger for the sixth time trying to do what Toothless could have easily done, he’d resorted to getting up and kicking trees. Maybe if he did it again, the dragon would be in a good enough mood he’d sniff, and then stomp where Hiccup told him and fix the stupid tail. Hiccup glanced over at the raised wing. 

Nope, still solidly in place. Well, he’d need a tool, he’d proven that much. If he got a sturdy enough branch for a lever, or maybe a rock…

Hiccup wandered away. 

* * *

The quiet bothered Toothless. The Boy was rarely quiet; he made sounds when he played with fire and hot dangerous things, sounds when he slept, sounds when the quick blond one hit him, sounds when she tried feeding him with her mouth in a way that didn’t work, and sounds when the two slow blond ones did anything at all. The only time he was quiet was during flight or when he put cold fire marks on thin tree bark. They weren't flying, because the Boy had leaned too far to the side and Toothless hit a tree. And the black cold fire and thin tree bark were far away. The boy should not be quiet. Toothless lowered his wing. 

The Boy was not working on the flapping-thing-that-was-not-a-tail. He was not making funny noises as the strong-as-bones line hit his fingers. He was not there at all. 

Toothless thought about a nap. But he could not fly without the Boy, and he did not want to nap when it was not safe without the Boy to wake him with noises. So Toothless got to his feet, looking around. He bounced over a bush, poked his head around a tree, and sniffed the air. He heard a sound and his black head jerked up, ears perked. 

* * *

Hiccup also heard the noise. He’d been trying to use his tiny toothpick weight to bend a branch off a tree, but when the rusting grew louder he let himself drop, too intrigued to notice the branch, which hadn’t been bending in the least, beginning to shake right above his head. No, Hiccup was listening to the noise, which had added a strange series of rapid thumps to the rustling. They sounded like footsteps, all of them happening all at once. At that moment Hiccup noticed the rustling had actually been the trees around him shaking, and the branch, right above his head, cracked from the vibrations. It fell directly on the helmetless Viking’s head. It hurt far worse than his foot had from the kick, bad enough it made Hiccup cross his eyes, yell, and blink, bad enough he didn’t notice stampeding Changewings coming his direction.

* * *

Toothless heard the footsteps. The fear on the air was tangible to a dragon; the Changewings were being chased. WHERE WAS THE BOY?

There, a sound the boy made! Toothless jumped, running as fast as he could, dodging trees, heading straight for the noise! But the noise of the Changewings grew, chittering barks and stomping feet. Toothless broke into the open. They were headed straight for the Boy! Toothless roared, mouth fully open, and the Changewings swerved, dodging to the rocks and changing color. Toothless bounded over to the Boy.

He was on the ground, his eyes closed, and still _quiet_. He was hurt. Toothless nudged him in the shoulder, eyes waiting expectantly. Nothing.

Another sound! Toothless glanced up, tensing, because it was a _thud_ , _thud, thud_ of heavy things falling. Toothless glanced down at the Boy, and then bounded up to the nearest hill, jumping to the top of a tree and settling there. 

A dragon the Boy called Timberjack! He flew through the forest, beheading the trees as he went, smashing the ground with wood trunks. Toothless glanced down at the ground, at the unmoving boy, at the other dragons who began running again, and jumped down. He grabbed the soft hide by the Boy’s neck, pulling him, and began running backwards. 

Toothless was quite smart for a dragon, and as he pulled faster and faster, he was already wondering how they were going to outrun or avoid the falling limbs when the danger was _flying_ and they were on foot, thanks to the Boy’s mistakes. The island itself answered him, and in the worst of ways. 

Because suddenly Toothless was falling, the edge of the cliff already feet away, and the water below. Toothless hastily wrapped himself around the Boy with both wings, closing his eyes to guard them.

The Boy was not going to be flying until he apologised. 


	2. Delayed Drowning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whumptober2020: Prompt 13 Breathe In Breathe Out  
> Delayed Drowning
> 
> A/N: For those who do not know (as I did not) what Delayed Drowning is, “when a child inhales water into his or her lungs, causing inflammation or edema (swelling). The edema can occur hours or even days after the initial contact with water.”   
> ~USA Today   
> That’s...terrifying. 
> 
> Warning: this story will be wildly unscientific. I think it goes right past suspending disbelief to causing eye-rolls. But if you’ve a detailed knowledge of healing techniques that would have worked, let me know.

Toothless’s head hit the water first. Normally this would not be a problem, the dragon quickly emerging and shaking the water off, preferably when the Boy or the loud Man who lived with them was within range of the drops. But Toothless had hit his head earlier that day, and though he’d shaken it off, the bruising ache remained. The second pummelling as he hit the water was too much, and Toothless drifted into unconsciousness. 

* * *

Hiccup woke up with a gasp that left him choking, water and darkness surrounding him filling his open mouth. He closed it. Water, and the darkness —the darkness  he instantly recognised the feel of Toothless’s wings, but why were they in the water? He’d been on land, hadn’t he?

Worse, the water was moving but Toothless wasn’t, which meant they were probably falling. He fought against Toothless’s wings, trying to be gentle, to move them aside and get them both to  _ air _ , but the wings were wrapped too tightly. He couldn’t move them. Already he could feel the water in his mouth moving down his throat, his air running out. He had to breathe,  _ he had to breathe! _ Toothless, why wasn’t Toothless awake?

Wrapped in his friend’s wings, Hiccup felt something jar the dragon. Had they hit the bottom? But the water began rushing past far faster than before, and moments later there was  _ air _ . Hiccup began choking, coughing up water, trying greedily to suck in air.

“Set him down!” That was Astrid. Astrid was here. 

Toothless’s body jarred again, rolling onto its side on firm ground, and Hiccup caught a glimpse of green claws letting go of the tail. Barf and Belch, that wasn’t Stormfly, his mind realised even while he was still gasping. And Toothless wasn’t moving. What happened?

“Astrid! I don’t see him!” Snotlout, as loud as usual. 

“He’s vanished. He perished in the stampede we came for.d Gone before his time, the shining star of Berk-”

“Shut up and help me move Toothless’s wings,” Astrid snapped at Roughnut. Moments later the black wings were gently unfolded, and Hiccup rolled over, bracing himself on his hands. They dug into the sand —the group was on a beach. Hiccup coughed the rest of the water in his mouth out, taking in gasps of air.

Something hard and leathery hit him over the head. He snapped it up, to find Toothless regarding him with open eyes, one wing ready to smack him again. 

“You all right, buddy?” Toothless got to his feet, shaking his entire body and showering the group with drops. Amid the loud complaints and yells of the Vikings, Hiccup smiled. He probably deserved that. But it meant Toothless was all right again. 

* * *

Toothless’s head hurt and his throat burned. But the Boy was right there. Standing, breathing...and  _ smiling.  _ Hmph.

* * *

“All right, let’s fly back to Berk,” Hiccup ordered good-naturedly, heading to Toothless. Toothless stayed still, like he always did for Hiccup’s mounting—right until Hiccup lifted his lame leg to put it in the stirrup. The Toothless moved away. “What—Toothless, stop, we need to get you home to be looked over—” But the dragon kept moving away, eyes narrowing further and further as Hiccup kept trying.

“Oh, right, we can’t fly,” Hiccup realised out loud, and Toothless glared at him again. “Astrid, could you-”

“Mount up!” she called, swinging herself up onto Stormfly and offering Hiccup a hand. Hookfang took off, hovering over the Nightfury, who rolled his eyes but allowed the Monstrous Nightmare to pick him up, and Barf and Belch tried to be helpful by picking up his tail again. Toothless hit both heads with it and wrapped it under himself. The poor dragon did  _ not _ enjoy the flight back. Hiccup felt bad every time he saw the stiff wings, tensed tail, and narrowed eyes. 

They took him to Gothi as soon as they got back, and she poked him with her stick, glared into one of his eyes, and then nodded to Hiccup that Toothless was well. “Thank Thor,” Hiccup sighed. “What do you say, Toothless, want to go home?” 

* * *

Of  _ course _ Toothless wanted to go home. His head still ached, his lungs felt sore, and the embers of his fire, deep in his belly, felt far weaker than normal. 

But he was  _ not _ letting the Boy ride him. He still hadn’t apologised yet, and Toothless had saved him, wrapped him in his wings, and put up with the smelly one’s stick. Toothless held his head in the air and walked off the smelly one’s platform, spreading his wings to glide down. He could hear the Boy calling to him from behind, but he ignored it. The Boy could find his own way home; other two-legged ones were here to help him if he needed. Toothless was going home to sleep. 

* * *

Hiccup stared at the empty space where Toothless had glided away. “Is it just me, or is Toothless a little upset?”

“Let us answer, we’re experts at this!” Toughnut yelled, and Hiccup sighed. He didn’t want  _ their _ answer, but the twins were already launched. “He had one ear up further than the other.”

“True, sis, he did. And his tail was curved. It’s always a bad sign when the tail is curved.” 

“Oh, shut up,” Astrid grumbled, glaring at Tough, who was closer. “Hiccup, if Toothless is angry, maybe you should go talk to him.”

“You’re right.” Hiccup stared despondently at the ground, far below the platform. “Give me a lift?”

It did not take long to get home, or to survive the enthusiastic hug of his father, who had been arguing with Gobber while they planned the next village celebration. Hiccup slipped away to his room. 

He’d left it in a hurry, to try out the new tail, and there were reminders everywhere of his failure. Toothless lay curled in his customary circle, already sleeping. Well, waking him to talk about their misadventure certainly wouldn’t help. So Hiccup quietly cleared a place on his desk to begin a new drawing, for a new tail. It shouldn’t take that long to make, not if one the others fetched the old one from the island. 

* * *

Toothless opened one eye. The Boy was using the cold fire on old tree bark again, and that probably meant a new tail.

Toothless closed the eye, relaxing back into sleep. Let the Boy  _ try _ to fly. Toothless was still waiting on that apology. 

* * *

Hiccup finished the drawing. He glanced at his dragon. Toothless lay twitching, small plumes of smoke escaping from one corner of the dragon’s mouth. Hiccup frowned. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen this, but it usually meant Toothless was gripped by a nightmare.

And the Vikings now had sayings about waking sleeping dragons. 

* * *

_ Water, water, and more water! _ Toothless flapped his wings, desperate to escape, but he couldn’t feel them move. The water stole his breath. It filled his belly, fighting the fire, the air. Water was his enemy, and it was inside! Where was the Boy?

And what was that smell?

* * *

Hiccup cautiously grabbed a long pole —it had been a spear before Hiccup got his hands on it, needed more metal for the tail—and circled around till he was behind Toothless’s head. Then he began prodding the dragon’s back, gently at first, then harder. “Toothless! Oh Toothless!”

“Hiccup?” Stoick the Vast stood in the doorway. His frown directed itself at Toothless, not his son. Hiccup glanced back at the dragon. Water was beginning to pool under the dragon, coming from his mouth. Hiccup had never seen that before. He dropped his spear and hopped forward, fast, tripping as he tried to get around to Toothless’s head, getting there at the same time as his father. 

“Dad?” 

“Easy, son.”

“But, there’s water, why is there water coming out from his mouth? Dragons don’t drool in their sleep.”

Stoick’s large hands petted the dragon’s head before lifting it up, and Hiccup felt his heart speed up when Toothless didn’t wake. What was happening with his dragon?

“Was he in the water earlier?”

“Yeah, we both fell in, and Astrid pulled us out. She came to check on the stampede she saw. Dad?” he asked as Stoick put the head back down, moving quickly to the curled up tail and pulling it straight. 

“Quick, son, get his head! Pull it straight!” The large Viking slammed his shoulder into the dragon’s body, rolling him onto his back. “It’s drowning, son, water inside him. We need to get it out?”

“How?”

“On a man, we slap his back, but on a dragon-” Stoick trailed off, looking up and down the dragon who was now beginning to convulse. “I don’t know!”

“Fire!” Hiccup said, grabbing his Dad’s arm. “We can dry the water inside with fire!”

“Ye’ll ram a torch down his throat?”

“No, Dad, a fireball!”

Stoick rolled the dragon back over with quick hands. “That has to come from him-”

“So we make him mad! Dad, go get some dragon fish!” As Stoick ran with thundering strides for the kitchen, Hiccup grabbed the unused leather and wrapped it around Toothless’s head. Stoick was back an instant later, and Hiccup snatched the fish, waving it in front of his friend’s nose. Toothless’s eyes snapped open, eyeing the fish, legs still scrambling, and Hiccup threw the fish far away. Toothless’s eyes gleamed, snarling, and Hiccup threw himself on his friend’s mouth, holding it closed as the dragon fired. A half-second later Stoick was on top of them both, his strength doing what Hiccup could not, and the fire Toothless meant to send outwards scorched through his throat, his belly, his whole being. Steam poured from his mouth in burning waves, turning Hiccup’s arms red. The dragon pulled his head in, escaping the two men’s hold, threw it back, and opened his mouth to let all the steam in his stomach out.

It settled on the ceiling, condensing into drops that began to drip down on them. The temperature rose to sauna-like levels, and Hiccup stared worriedly at his friend.

“Are you okay, buddy?” He moved forward cautiously. “Can I come see?”

* * *

The Boy looked like he had before Toothless had become his friend, wary and cautious. Toothless snorted, pleased to see a bit of fire leaving his mouth, and the Boy taking a step back. His fire was back, and the Boy might finally say he was sorry. 

And then Toothless might get the fish he smelled.

* * *

Stoick chuckled.

“Look at that face, son. I think your dragon is fine.” He laughed one more time and went downstairs, unbothered by the glare that narrowed Toothless’s eyes to slits. 

“You’re really all right? No remaining water? No trouble breathing? No list of other possible problems I didn’t know dragons could have?” Toothless snorted again, more fire coming from his mouth. “All right, I’ll take your word for it. But you better be right! I have no idea how that worked, and we are not doing it again!”

Toothless decided to go back to ignoring him, and settled himself down, hissing in displeasure to find his bed all wet. He got up and breathed fire on it once again, going around and around till it was entirely dry, and settling himself back down to sleep. He was much more comfortable this time.

Hiccup began to relax, seeing that Toothless was well. He grabbed a rag and began wiping the water off of things, muttering (very quietly, since waking a sleeping dragon was  _ still  _ a bad idea) about messy dragons. 

In all the commotion, no one noticed that one of the flames from Toothless’s mouth had reached the fireplace, full of unlit wood.

Normally that would not be a problem, because that was a fireplace, after all. But it was a fireplace in Hiccup’s workshop, and Hiccup hadn’t been very clean with his papers, leather, and wood recently. Some of them were scattered far too near the edge of the logs. 


	3. Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whumptober2020: Prompt 14 Is Something Burning?  
> Fire
> 
> Disclaimer: Apparently I failed to post this on the first chapter. I've never owned a dragon, no matter how many times I've dreamed of it.

Astrid came to check on the pair, and Hiccup accidentally woke Toothless on his way down the stairs. The dragon bounded past Hiccup, still ignoring him. The dragon was far away by the time the two made it outside.

“He still won’t let me near him,” Hiccup grumbled as the two Vikings walked through the town, Hiccup having told Astrid what happened. “It’s all, ‘Hiccup’s there, let’s bound away! Oh, Hiccup’s walking through town? I’ll head to the forest!” His eyes went to the edge of the forest, where Toothless was at the moment disappearing, and Hiccup’s mouth turned down in a sulk.

“Well, maybe you should apologise,” said Astrid.

“Apologise? For what? What have I done?” Astrid looked at him. “Fine, what have I done recently that would get him so worked up?”

“Umm, you remember flying him into a tree? At the start of all this?”

“That was days ago, and he probably...probably doesn’t remember! And besides, I’ve saved his life since then!”

“From a drowning  _ you _ caused. I’d probably have hit you.”

Hiccup glanced at her and smiled a bit. “Yeah, but then it would have been over with, and I could have grumbled about it.” He sighed. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Now?”

“I’d probably better let him cool down first. I don’t think he liked our remedy.” And so for the next hour Hiccup and Astrid worked in the training ring, Hiccup with the young dragons, and Astrid on drills with Stormfly. 

Hiccup made it home, only to find Toothless still gone.

* * *

_ The Boy still did not find me to apologise. Sometimes he is stupider than the two light-haired loud ones.  _

Toothless settled back down to his nap.

* * *

Hiccup walked into his room and sniffed the air. “Dad must have lit a fire, to dry all the water,” he thought, dismissing the scent. He sat back down at his desk with a sigh, pulling his drawing closer. Before long he was lost to the world, inadvertently proving Toothless correct. When the smoke began crowding out the light, he merely moved closer to the fire, unconsciously attributing it to night coming on. When the flames grabbed the papers nearest to the hearth, Hiccup assumed a torch had been lit, and moved his papers back. It was not till the smoke was thick enough he began coughing that he looked up.

* * *

Toothless got up and stretched, staring at the sun. It had perhaps two hours before being fully set, and Toothless was hungry. If the Boy fed him— _ and _ apologised—they could go riding tonight. But it would have to be both, since he’d taken so long about it. Or a wrestling match. Toothless liked those. He got to lick the Boy’s clothes and hear him make disgusted noises from the dragon slime. It was funny.

Toothless began ambling through the village. 

* * *

The smoke was so thick Hiccup couldn’t see the door. But he knew where it was, and he stumbled towards it, tripping as his metal leg caught on some of the mess on his floor. He fell, coughing again, but the air was clearer on the floor. He blinked, water falling from his eyes, and began crawling towards the door he could now see.

But he paused. Vikings—all the ones who lived when they fought dragons—are very familiar with fire, and Hiccup realised with a cough and growing fear that papers lines the floor between him and the door. He would not be fast enough to get over them before the fire took them—and he would be walking on a wooden leg. He looked towards the wall. Could he kick it out?

* * *

Toothless, nearly home, lifted his head and sniffed. Something was burning.

Something  _ big _ .

And the Boy was always in trouble. Toothless began bounding over the carts, the people, towards the first of the human shouts. 

Surely the Boy wouldn’t be in trouble  _ again _ . But if he was, Toothless would be there.

* * *

Hiccup crawled towards the wall under the eaves, knowing it was his only chance. He was coughing non-stop, the smoke getting much thicker. He didn’t think Gobber could make him metal-and-wood lungs as well as a leg, though the Viking might enjoy trying. 

* * *

Their  _ home _ was on  _ fire _ . When Toothless caught the dragon who set it on fire, that dragon would pay.

Where was the Boy?

The Large one who lived with them was throwing water, calling the Boy. He saw Toothless and hurried over. “Where’s Hiccup?” Toothless twisted, looking for the quick blonde one, only to see her running, alone.

“Hiccup!” The Boy was not with her.

Toothless looked back at the house, straining his ears. Coughing. He heard coughing, dry coughing, from their room. He ducked under the Large one’s reaching hands and bounced upwards, to the roof. The coughing was below him. Toothless swore to himself, if the Boy was on fire, he was dumping him back in the water. The dragon let out a short burst of flames, burning through the roof, and with a roll of his eyes let himself crash down through it, landing in the flames.

_ Ow _ . The coughing grew fainter as Toothless jumped for a clear spot, and the dragon began running around, looking for the tiny body.  _ There _ . By the wall, outside the fire. Toothless jumped over, nudging the Boy with his nose. 

“Toothless,” the boy coughed. “Great...great timing, buddy.” Toothless whined, they had no time for this, and dropped his head to the floor near the Boy’s arm.

One small part of him regretted letting the boy ride again before apologising, but there was no time for grudges either. As the Boy slid his arm around Toothless’s neck, the dragon lurched upward, sliding the Boy’s body onto his back, and crouching. He let one short burst of flame touch the wall, and dove through the hole. Out through the flames, too quick for them to burn, and into the air! He spread his wings, gliding down, and landed with a wobble in the marketplace.

“ _ Hiccup!” _ And now the noise would begin.

The Large one, the blonde quick one, and lots of others came rushing over and began cheering. The Boy sat up on Hiccup’s back, claiming they were fine, they were fine, and the Large one dragged him off into an arm-swallow. The blonde quick one hit him, and Toothless smiled in approval. 

But then he thought about the fire upstairs. It had started in the fireplace, and Toothless  _ knew _ one of his flames had gone that way. And if the Boy shouldn’t have left old tree bark near it, they were both to blame, and Toothless  _ had _ let the Boy ride again. Perhaps he shouldn’t be angry anymore. Making up his mind, Toothless lunged forward, licking the Boy’s shirt from waist to hair, and then sat back, smiling. 

“Ugh, Toothless!” The Boy tried to wipe the saliva away. Ha! 

But the Large one came and stroked Toothless’s head with one large hand. “Thank you for saving my son,” he said to the dragon.


End file.
